Hernam Singh Attalia

Ranjit Singh Attalia’s story

I never met my grandfather, Hernam Singh Attalia. But from the limited information I have, he was a formidable man.

Tall and broad in stature, a stern poker face and solid presence - he looked intimidating but was a man of few words.

My father, Avtar Singh Attalia, was the youngest of five children. My grandad passed away when he was a child and now my dad is the only sibling left here in the UK to recall our family’s story.

Hernam Singh was a carpenter in the British Indian Army. During World War Two, if servicemen were wounded there were no prosthetics or metal/plastic support objects. Instead, skilled craftsmen like my grandfather made crutches and leg splints out of wood for injured soldiers.

He moved to Kenya, where my father was born. And passed away before the family returned to India.

I wish I knew more about my family legacy but sadly the elders have all gone so we are piecing our history through fragments of memories, stories and photographs.

It feels so uplifting and rewarding to know that my ancestor served during the war. It makes me feel inclusive in British society. Men and women who were British subjects living in the colonies were expected to contribute and he stepped up for his duty.

Learning about wartime stories makes you realise that our complaints about life today are nothing in comparison to what those before us endured. They were a resilient generation without whom we wouldn’t be here today.

I hope that by capturing my grandfather’s story my children will feel inspired in future and have a better understanding of their identity and belonging in Britain.